Amusement house



June 30, 1925. 1,544,220

- H. c. CONRAD I AMUSEMENT HOUSE Filed Jan, 25, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet I l I I I I l I I l I I I I I Z (I C d/Eufzwfoo flaZ 0's 077/21 2: Z

eawwwq attozneq June 30, 1925. I 1,544,220

H. C. CONRAD AMUSEMENT HOUSE Filed Jan. 25, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 30, 1925.

PATENT OFFICE.

HOLLIS C. CONRAD, 0F JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA.

AMUSEMENT HOUSE.

Application filed January 25, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that HOLLIS C. CoNRAo, a citizen of the United States. residing at Jacksonville, in the county of Duval and State of Florida, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Amusement Houses, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to amusement houses, and has for its object to provide a device of this character wherein the corners of the floor of the house are disposed at clifferent elevations. thereby causing the floor to be cantered at various angles and causing an illusion to the person entering the house which will make it practically impossible for the person to walk therein, as the physical forces overcome the mental forces and confuse the person.

A further object is to provide the floor with convexed places to further confuse the person entering the house and walking on the floor.

A further object is to provide a plurality of trackways zigzagging downwardly from the high corner of the floor to the lower corner on which a device is mounted to move, and to create the impression that the device is moving up grade instead of down grade, the person guessing which way the device will move.

A further object is to provide spaced rings for supporting the adjacent ends of trackways in such a manner that the device moving on one trackway will pass to the adjacent trackway.

With the above and other objects in view the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawing. described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawing:-

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the amusement house showing the floor and trackway therein.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the house.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view Serial No. 615,429.

through the lower portion of the house taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an end view of the lower portion of the house, parts being broken away to better show the floor.

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view through the house taken on line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a detail perspective view of one of the trackway supports, showing the transfer means.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a rectangular shaped house, which is adapted to rest stationary on the ground, and 2 van entrance door thereto, through which entrance persons enter the chamber 8 of the house. Disposed within the house is a stationary floor 4, which floor has its corners 5, 6, 7 and 8 at different elevations and in increasing elevations in the order set forth. It will be seen that when a person enters the house and attempts to walk on the floor 4, that the various angles thereof will cause through the physical forces the overcoming of the mental forces and make. it practically impossible for the person to 'walk on the floor. To further render the walking diflicult on the floor and as a further illusion the'floor 4 is provided with convexed portions 9. It will be seen that by having the corners of the'floor at various elevations that the floor is cantered at an angle, which places the sides of the floor at different angles, thereby in connection with the optical illusion caused by the walls, rendering it practically impossible for a person entering the room to easily figure out the exact plane in which the floor is disposed.

To further carry out the optical illusion a plurality of pairs of wires 10 are provided in zigzag relation from adjacent the high corner 8 to adjacent the lower corner 5, said pairs of wires forming a runway for an object, a ball 11 being shown for purposes of illustration. The pairs of wires incline slightly downwardly and consequently their lower ends appear to be higher from the adjacent corner of th floor than their upper ends, which however is not the case, as the mclined sides of the floor is at agreater angle. The pairs of wires are connected to rings 12 adjacent the high corner 8 and the lower corner 5 and are detachably supported by means of hooks 13, so that the pairs of wires may be easily removed when not in use. \V here the pairs of wires converge they are connected to spaced rings 14 in superimposed relation, which rings are connected together by vertically disposed bars 15 and are secured to the wall of the house detachably by means of hooks 16. ,It will be seen that when the ball 11 rolls into the upper ring 14. it will drop downwardly onto the wires 10 carried by the lower ring 14, and will zigzag from the. corner 8 to the corner 7, thence to the corner 6 and finally to the corner 5. If so desired as many zigzag pairs of wires may be used, however for purposes of illustration the pairs of wires are shown as zigzagging from corner to corner of the house.

From the above it will be seen that an amusement house is provided, which is simple in construction and one wherein an optical illusion is created, which will overcome the balance of a person entering the house. It will also be seen that a zigzag gravity trackway is provided within the house, which when a ball or other object is moved thereover. will create an impression on the eye, that the ball or object is moving at an upwardly inclined angle, while as a matter of fact it is moving at a downwardly inclined angle by gravity.

The invention having been set forth what is claimed as new and useful is 1. The combination with an amusement house, of a floor disposed in said house and having corners, said corners being disposed at different elevations thereby cantering the floor at an angle whereby its sides will be disposed at different angles and upwardly convexed surfaces carried by the floor and in combination with the inclination of the floor increasing the illusion.

2. The combination with an amusement house having a floor provided with corners disposed at different elevations of a zigzag trackway zigzagging downwardly from adjacent the highest corner of the floor to the lowest corner past the intermediate corners and means whereby an object will be transferred from one section of the zigzag trackway to an adjacent section of the trackway in its passage from the highest to the lowest corner.

3. The combination with an amusement house having an inclined floor therein, the corners of which are at different elevations, of a trackway disposed in the house and zigzagging from adjacent the highest corner to the intermediate corners in downwardly stepped relation to adjacent the lowest corner.

4. An amusement apparatus comprising an inclined floor and an open passageway thereabove and inclined relatively thereto and alsd inclined relatively to a horizontal plane, whereby a gravitationally-propelled mass passing down said inclined passageway may produce an illusion of modification of gravitational force.

An amusement apparatus comprising an inclined floor and a conduit thereabove and inclined relatively thereto and also inclined relatively to a. horizontal plane, whereby a gravitationally-propelled mass passing down said inclined conduit may produce an illusion of modification of gravitational force.

6. An amusement apparatus comprising an inclined floor and an open passageway thereabove and inclined relatively thereto and also inclined relatively to a horizontal plane, whereby a gravitationally-propelled visible mass passing down said inclined pas-- sageway may produce an illusion of modification of gravitational force.

7. An amusement apparatus comprising an inclined floor and an open passageway thereabove and inclined oppositely thereto and also inclined relatively to a horizontal plane whereby a gravitationally-propelled mass passing down said inclined passageway may produce an illusion of modification of gravitational force.

8. An amusement apparatus comprising an inclined floor and an open passageway thereabove and inclined in the same direction thereas but in less degree, and also inclined relatively to a horizontal plane, whereby a gravitationally propelled mass passing down said inclined passageway may produce an illusion of modification of gravitational force.

9. An amusement apparatus comprising an inclined floor and an open passageway thereabove and inclined relatively thereto and also inclined relatively to a horizontal plane, whereby a gravitationally-propelled object passing down said inclined passageway may produce an illusion of modification of gravitational force.

10. An amusement apparatus comprising an inclined floor and a conduit there-above and inclined relatively thereto and also inclined relativel to a horizontal plane, whereby a gravitationally-propelled object passing down said inclined conduit may produce an illusion of modification of gravitational force.

11. An amusement apparatus comprising an inclined floor and an open passageway thereabove and inclined oppositely thereto and also inclined relatively to a horizontal plane, whereby a gravitationally-propelled object passing down said inclined passageway may produce an illusion of modification of gravitational force.

12. An amusement apparatus comprising an inclined floor and an open passageway thereabove and inclined in the same direction thereas but in less degree and also inclined relatively to a horizontal plane, whereby a gravitationally-propelled object passing down said inclined passageway may produce an illusion of modification of gravitational force.

13. An amusement apparatus comprising an inclined floor and a conduit thereabovc and inclined in the same direction thereas but in less degree and also inclined relatively to a horizontal plane whereby a gravitationally-propelled visible mass passing down said inclined conduit may produce an illusion of modification of gravitational force.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

HOLLIS o. CONRAD. 

